Apple Announces iPhone 4S

The company is adding another iPhone to the line. Are you in?

Tuesday was the big day — or at least the latest big day in the many that Apple has had over the years. The company announced the latest iPhone, but it wasn’t the 5 like everyone expected. Instead, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the iPhone 4S.

Don’t expect that extra S to stand for “savings.” Despite a familiar design, Cook says that the “inside is all new,” meaning some significant enhancements over the current iPhone 4.

First up, the new iPhone 4S will come packing an A5 chip and dual-core graphics. That basically means that the iPhone 4S should offer a better gaming experience, as well as better graphics — up to seven times better. Hopefully that also translates into better home control options, for you EHers out there.

That could be a possibility, since the new portable will also boast a new wireless system. The iPhone 4S will have a dual antenna system, which will seamlessly switch between antennas in search of the best possible signal quality. Download speeds are expected to double over the iPhone 4, as high as 14.4Mbps.

Other iPhone 4S highlights include a camera with a new 8-megapixel sensor, 1080p video recording, the inclusion of both GSM and CDMA, and a Dictation option. There also seems to be a new app, titled Siri. This allows users to ask questions, such as, “Do I need to wear a raincoat today?” Siri will then answer, “It sure looks like rain today.” Siri isn’t just a great forecaster, but can also schedule appointments, find restaurants, and more.

Will home control companies, like Savant and Control4, be able to take advantage of Siri for home automation purposes: “Siri, close the drapes and play Top Gun in the main theater room.”

Last, but certainly very nice, is that the new iPhone 4S boasts 8 hours of talk time and 6 hours of web browsing through 3G. If you use Wi-Fi, that will up the browsing time to 9 hours. It also promises 10 hours of video or 40 for music lovers.

Apple says the iPhone 4S will be available in black, as well as white. The 16GB will be priced at $199, the 32GB will be $299, and the 64GB has an MSRP of $399. Of course, all of those prices are contingent on a 2-year carrier agreement. Carrier options include Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.

Pre-orders for the 4S will start this Friday, October 7. The iPhone 4S will then start shipping a week later, on Friday, October 14.